Monday, November 17, 2008

There's been a bit of interest in the Bushwackers round here lately,so time for a wackers post. In my younger days this band wasalmost as much of an influence on my developing folk interestas Redgum. This was aided a lot by the fact they put out twoexcellent songbooks which, like Redgum meant I could playtheir songs. This is what folk is all about of course.

Lime Juice tub - Trad/Bushwackers

When shearing comes lay down your drumsStep on the board you brand new chumsWith a ra-dum ra-dum rub-a-dub-dubSend him home in a lime juice tub

ChorusHere we are in New South WalesShearing the sheep as big as whalesWith leather necks and daggy tailsAnd hides as tough as rusty nails

Now you have crossed the briny deepYou fancy you can shear a sheepWith a ra-dum ra-dum rub-a-dub-dubWe'll send you home in lime juice tub

There's brand new chums and cockies sonsThey fancy that they are great gunsThey fancy they can shear the woolBut the buggers can only tear and pull

They tar the sheep till they're nearly blackRoll up roll up and get the sackOnce more we're away on the Wallaby TrackOnce more to look for the shearing oh

The very next job they undertakeIs to press the wool but they make a mistakeThey press the wool without any balesShearing's hell in New South Wales

And when they meet upon the roadFrom off their backs throw down their loadAnd at the sun they'll take a lookSaying I reckon it's time to breast the cook

We camp in huts without any doorsSleep upon the muddy floorsWith a pannikin of flour and a sheet of barkTo wallop up a damper in the dark

Its home its home I'd like to beNot humping my drum in this countryIts sixteen thousand mile I've comeTo march along with the blanket drum

Awesome. My mate has this on a double CD with I think the one that has Murrimbidgee on it or is called Murrimbidgee. I saw them live so many times and they were so great to get drunk and dance to. The very first album (before And the band Played Waltz Sing Matilda) is the one that was never on CD. I'm lucky enough to have it on vinyl.

That Striped Sunlight Sound.

Coming to you from Brisbanethe home of the striped sunlightsound, this is a my little placein cyberspace to share themusic of Australiawhich may have passed you by.Mostly rare and out of printalbums from artists that nevermade it into the mainstreamand my recollections concerningthem. If you like somethingplease leave a message in thecomments, if you don't,maybe you'd rather not seeyour music here, or maybe myrecollections are wrong,please leave a message too.If you find any links no longer workplease let me know and I'll fix itI'm on myspace you can find me at myspace.com/stripedsunlightsoundand if you preferfacebook.com/people/Bob